Review for MLB The Show 19. Game for PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 26/03/2019
We said it by reviewing the other editions, MLB The Show 17 and MLB The Show 18, and we can only reiterate it with this chapter: MLB The Show 19 is the best sports video game on the videogame market. Sony San Diego Studio, edition after edition, manages to improve an already consolidated formula, adding every time that something extra that makes this product the sports simulation par excellence, without taking anything away from other cornerstones of the sports genre.
As already happens with Visual Concepts and NBA 2K, what makes MLB The Show a pearl in the vast ocean of videogame titles is not only the deep gameplay, but also (and above all) the photorealism achieved after years of improvement, which shines thanks to the power of current consoles.
Let's start with the new modes that Sony San Diego has decided to implement in this new chapter: Moments and March to October. As the name suggests, in Moments we will have the opportunity to replay moments that have written important pages in the history of this sport: like Bryce Harper's rookie debut, the Chicago Cubs ride to victory in the 2016 World Series, or play as Babe Ruth, Nolan Ryan, Willie Mays and other icons. It is almost a sort of documentary, at times with iconic scenes in black and white, at times with bright colors to evoke historical victories.
While this mode adds something interesting, the real strength of the production is perhaps the new March to October, a sort of season mode in which to play only the key moments of the championship. This is a mode that we have already been able to admire in part with the other chapters, improved and much more captivating. It starts from the early stages of the season up to the World Series, interspersing matches and field situations which, with a highly effective algorithm, will modify the results of simulated matches. In some cases we will find ourselves playing only the final innings to try to overturn a result: success could mean being able to obtain a string of victories in simulated games; in case of failure, the algorithm we talked about would reverse the series of negative results, thus undermining the possibility of accessing the World Series, or at least interrupting a ride that until then could have seemed triumphant.
Once the campaign has started, we will have the opportunity to choose the team divided into 4 tiers, based on the global strength of the team: we go from favorites to contenders, up to underdogs, to conclude with the teams that have little to ask the championship if not getting decent results.
A small note apart deserves Road to the Show, or the career mode of MLB The Show, in which to create the alter ego and start the climb from rookie up to the World Series. Technically following in the footsteps of the last edition, this mode is getting closer and closer to a full RPG, starting from the deep editor that allows you to select the style of play of our pitcher / hitter, the position on the field and the personality, up to the choices of the dialogues, in this edition much more diversified. The archetypes chosen will allow you to reach the maximum level of each statistic more or less quickly, in fact in this edition the level cap has been removed. In addition, several minigames and objectives to be achieved during a match have been added, which obviously allow for more constant character growth.
It would be superfluous to talk about all the other modes which, apart from some new features or graphic renewal of the game menus, follow those of the other editions; which is why we advise you to read the reviews of the other chapters for further information.
The gameplay deserves a separate paragraph. If the style of play already bordered on almost total perfection, with an offensive phase worthy of note, the great work done by the software house has further improved the defensive phase. Artificial intelligence has in fact made great strides especially with regards to balls in flight, home runs and balls in the corners, an improvement that makes the work done by Sony San Diego even more appreciated. What has been greatly implemented is the position of the defensive players on the bases and the back of the field. A strong defender will be more inclined to understand the trajectory of the ball, regardless of whether it is a fly ball or a ground ball, thus limiting the number of errors in the recovery phase almost completely to zero. A less skilled defender, on the other hand, may not immediately be able to understand the trajectory in flight and therefore have to dive to recover even an easy joke.
As in the other editions, you can choose a more simulation or a more arcade approach, both in the offensive and defensive phase. You can decide to use only a few buttons, but rather decide to throw the ball using the sticks, or decide whether the players in the bases should run alone to make the point, or whether to let the player decide when and how to launch in. attack to steal a base.
The animations are much smoother, as are the movements on the pitch, both in the serve and launch phase. Worthy of note is the graphics, as mentioned photorealistic, both as regards the green diamond and the stadium. The expressions of the most famous players are identical to reality, a little less similar to those of the less famous players. Overall we are still talking about the sports video game with the best graphics.
The sound is also noteworthy, with the commentary entrusted to the usual trio composed of Matt Vasgersian, Dan Plesac and Mark DeRosa to which Heidi Watney is added for the interviews from the sideline. A commentary with new comments accompanying the various phases.
MLB The Show 19 is the best chapter of this successful saga and the best sports video game on the gaming market. We are talking about a video game with the full license of the MLB, with photorealistic graphics and which, chapter after chapter, manages to further improve an already almost perfect product. The various modes, including the new ones, leave ample room for the player to choose on how much and how to deepen the experience with baseball, whether to do a long career mode, or rather a short and less demanding championship. A video game suitable for everyone, both for fans of this sport, and for newbies who want to approach a baseball field for the first time.
► MLB The Show 19 is a Sports type game developed by SIE San Diego Studio and published by Sony for PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 26/03/2019
